A little over a month after it shut its doors, Crumbs & Whiskers cat cafe reopened in late March. The organization now touts itself as the first unionized cat cafe in the city—and perhaps the world.
“Since our opening ten years ago, Crumbs & Whiskers has helped save thousands of cats,” says owner Kanchan Singh, who also goes by Zari Ruhi. “Our cafe is about creating a community that makes a real difference. This reopening represents a new chapter for us, but our mission remains the same: to make lives better, one paw at a time.”
According to staff and members of Crumbs & Whiskers Workers United union, the reopening follows a hard-fought win for unionization. Employees petitioned to become a union in early January. As Washingtonian previously reported, members alleged union-busting by management, as well as unsafe working conditions, low wages, and slow response times to feline medical needs. “After many months of hard work, persistence, and blood, sweat, and tears, we are so happy to be returning to the cafe as a unionized team,” Crumbs & Whiskers Workers United posted to its Instagram account.
Staff announced they planned to unionize in January. On February 9, employees were informed in an email that the cafe would close “effective immediately” so its management could focus on “securing stable leadership and positioning the location for long-term success.” Staff members created an online fundraiser to make up for the sudden loss of income.
Ruhi says the cafe has hired a new DC store manager to address staff concerns and denies the closure had anything to do with the unionization attempt. “The union formation was never part of the closure,” Ruhi says. “We closed to find new management, which is a separate thing than the unionization. The unionization process has been happening since January and the closure happened much later. We’re now the only unionized cat cafe in the world.”
Ruhi told Washingtonian Crumbs & Whiskers has “fully addressed” previous concerns—or is in the process of addressing them. For example, she says, the cafe addressed safety concerns by adding security cameras after a break-in last year, and the new manager will oversee healthy work-life balances while making employees’ schedules.
The cafe’s humans weren’t the only ones with refreshed working conditions: during the closure, cats were fostered at Homeward Trails, one of the cafe’s rescue partners. The cafe’s current cats are new arrivals, Ruhi says. There are about 20 cats in the cafe presently looking for new homes.
The new iteration of Crumbs & Whiskers is not without its challenges. Employees did not respond to Washingtonian’s requests for comment but have shared on the Crumbs & Whiskers Workers United page that some staffers have seen a reduction in scheduled hours—in some cases, transitioning from 40 hours a week to fewer than 20. Employees continue to encourage people to support their GoFundMe page, which has to date raised more than $7,000 to help close the gap for people experiencing reduced work hours and income.
“While C&W has shared publicly that employee concerns have been addressed and that the cafe is proud to be unionized, many workers feel that their experiences do not yet reflect those statements,” the union says in its most recent post. “We are committed to continuing to advocate for fair scheduling, transparent communication, and improved working conditions for all employees.”
Jenae Barnes previously reported and fact-checked for Capital B Gary in Indiana, 5280 Magazine in Denver, Forbes in New York and ABC News in Washington, D.C. She is a 2024 Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellow. As a DC-area native, she received her Bachelor’s from George Mason University and Master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School.
